Wire coating apparatus



C. BRUIN ING WIRE COATING APPARA'IUS Aug. 18', 1942.

Filed May 16, 1959 INVENTOR. QRL fiRU/N/Ni @f ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 18, 1942' UNITED STATES; PATENT former;

wins coarnwo mans-ms Carl Draining, luakegon, llleln, assignorto Anaconda Wire & Cable Company, New York, N..Y., a corporation of DelawareApplication mile, 1939, Serial No. 273,837

c6 (CI. 91-32) My invention relates to an apparatus for applying a thincoating or film of coating material, such as lacquer, to wire and moreparticularly to a die and die mounting for such apparatus.

In applying enamel or similar coating to .wire, it has beencustomary todraw the wire continuously through a bath of the coating material orenamel, generally by causing the wire to dip into the bath and underrollers or pulleys immersed therein. If the enameling composition issuillciently limpi'd or non-viscous a thin uniform coating of enamel isleft on the wire as it leaves the bath. when more viscous enamelingsolutions, or coating solutions are employed, the excompositionis drawnout ofthebath onthe.

wire and must be removed by a die.

.Heretofore. the wire has been drawn through a fixed die, the diameterof which is that of the coated wire or. equal to the diameter of thewire plus twice the thickness of the coating. In the event that the wirein such prior arrangements is not guided centrally into the die, it hasa tendeasy to be drawn to one edge or the other oi. the die,particularly if the wire is taut or has a feudency to spring to one sideor the other. Accord.- ingly, when this occurs there is a correspondinginequality in the thickness of the enamel coating.

In my present invention I provide a coating apparatus in which the dieis so mounted as to be selfaligningwithrespecttothewireandthustoinsureanalig'nmentoftheaxisofthewireandof the position or path of thewire.

' In my invention, therefore. I provide a die and and in which the diesmay move freely with the shifting or sidewise movement of the respectivewires, so as automatically to preserve a centering of .the wire in thedie. For this purpose I provide a cage at the exit side of the tank inwhich one or more dies freely slide or move. Wherethe wires are drawnupwardly over a pulley, a longitudinal cage extending lengthwise of orparallel V to the pulley may be provided so that the dies may movelengthwise of it to follow a sidewise shifting of the wires on thepulley. It will be apparent however that any suitable type of heatingdie supporting or. positioning means may be employed.

Preferably the dies are spherical and have a die passage. extendingdiametrically through. them. Thispermitsthediestoturnandtoslide freelywith a variation of directions or positions oLthe wire. The entering endof this opening is prefer- 45 can receiving reel or spool l9.

opening withoutsharp edges and to build up pressure within the opening'of the die which aids in. the centering of the wirein the die passage;

Thewire having been drawn through the 7 ing bath has an adherent layeror coating of the enamel which causes the wire to. center itselfautomatically in the die opening inasmuchas the liquid tends to maintainan equal thickness in the narrow annular passage between the wire ing ofthe dies avoids any'counteracting force or tendency suillcient to impairthis evenness of and the die passage. The free or floating mountapparatusembodying a preferred form of invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a die and die mounting forming a part ofthe apparatus shown inFIg. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is asection of a die and wire passing therethrough, taken on aplan transverse to the wire as indicated in line H oi Figs. 1 and-3.

In the embodiment of the invention shown. in

the accompanying drawing, wire" II which may in the accompanyingdrawingr be of any suitable size such, forexample, as that used asmagnet wire, or of larger sizes, is drawn fromasupplyreel orspool Hoveraguidepulley i2 and into a tank l3 of lacquer solution. Uponentering the'tank I! the wire I! passes below the first pulley or rollllof a pair of pulleys, thence die mounting for wires leaving the coatingtank passes immersed in the bath to a second pulley or 40 After passingthrough the die I I the wire, which has now a uniform film or coating oflacquer solution, passes through a drying chamber l8 7 to evaporate orremove lacquer solvent or otherwise harden the lacquer and thence isreceived hardeningchamber I! may be heated as'indi cated tically bytheheaters II, or may have otherimeans for hardening the lacquer.

Itwillhetmderstood thatanamber ofwiresmaybedrawninparallelfromareelorreels-ll dividual die ll. a

As indicated in Pig. 2, the die "for each in.-

. ably belied or coned to provide aismooth entering dividual wire itis-mounted within a cageformed The drying Or y a s ou't resistance.

'bgeach die n is provided'with ot parallel rodsgll held in spacedposition between endpiates 22 and 28. g

As shown inl 'iga 3 the'dies II are spherical and the cage is-made oifour rodsjl, this numconvenient and an eiiect ive' one for 'ly byway ofexample and that diflerbers o1 rods may be employed to formthe ge. Therods. are so spacedas to permit .ai sliding or-move'ment of the dies Hwithin the die immediately back of the opening 24 cal dies; but itwillbe understood that to'give a-uniiorm annular passage. between thewire and the passageway of the-die. This is indicated in Fig; 4 inwhichthe space between the wire II and the die I1 is filled with anannular film oilacquer solution 25.

In the above apparatus, if the wire should shiit lengthwise 'of the rollI its respective die "is free to shift with it without substantialresistance .to ,overcome't e'iorces in the liquid tending to .maintain aorinfllm about the wire. The spherical dies I! may be made of anysuitable material. For example, ball bearings,

softened suflleiently to permit drilling, may be employed. The rods 2|may be formed 0t any to permit the dies 11 to he slipped into the cageand-held whenthe rods are released.

Through the above inventiont therefore, the} uniformity of the lacquercoating is not im r by anvshiiting of the wire, inasmuch as the diesshift accordingly and thus areas of successive thickness or thinness orbare spots on the wire are avoided.

Various modifications in detail maybe made by those skilled in the artwithout departing iron I the invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

What I claim is: I .IIAppo-ratus for coating wires, a cage or parallelrods and a die within said cage and movable therein lengthwise 01' saidrods, said die having a die passage therethrough.

' 2. Apparatus for applying a uniform length a!- coatingto wiresor-iilaments, a cage of parallel rods and a spherical die within saidcage and movable therein lengthwise oi said said spherical die having apassage. extending metrically therethrough.

3. Apparatus for applying a coating to wires or filaments, a'fcage ofparallel rods and a spherical die within jaid cage and movable thereinlengthwise of said rods,1sald spherical die having a passageextendingdiametrically therethrough, saidpassage diverging at itsentrance end. I

4.,Apparatus for coating wires or filaments which comprises a coatingtank,a die cage at one side of said tank comprising a number of spacedparallel rods, a diein said cage and mpvable freely lengthwise or saidrods and means for drawing. wire successively through said tank'- andthrough said die in a direction transverse to suitable material,.preferably of metal such as -steel drill rod, which can' be sprungsumciently the lengths oi'said rods. 1

' 5.,Apparatus ior coating wires. or filaments which comprises a tank01' coating material, a die cage at one end of said tank having a n berof parallel rods, a plurality 'otspherical di mounted in said cage andmovable lengthwise of said rods, each said die having a diametricallypositioned die passage therethrough, means for drawing a plurality ofwires through'said tank and individually each throughone oi said dies. I

6. The apparatus of claim- 5 in which the die through the dies divergeat the ends nearest said'tank and in which said cage is made of fourrods.

CARL BRUINING.

unit anal yo!

